Here's a rundown of books, with brief descriptions and recommendations (or not). Becky read (or plans to read):
- Ahab's Wife - not recommended. This prequel or sequel to Moby Dick takes liberties that push boundaries.
- Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann - historical novel about the 1974 feat of tightrope walking between the World Trade Center towers, but strangely focuses on the spectators rather than the principals. But I think Becky said it was interesting.
- Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe - This is a rather well-known novel set in Nigeria, with shades of The Poisonwood Bible.
- Lark and Termite - about a girl who takes care of her disabled brother; some sexuality.
- This may be Becky's selection for the year - The Last Chinese Chef. It goes into the culture of Chinese food (we may have to meet at China Chef for our discussion). It's also a love story. Sounds yummy.
- The Spy Wore Red - along with The Spy Went Dancing, a true-life spy memoir. (I read the latter; it's good.) A WWII-era James Bond in silks.
- Becky is intrigued by this title given to her by a bookstore owner when he found out she was from Michigan - Forever and Five Days, by Lowell Cauffiel, about the Michigan nursing home murders. Kind of sordid, but interesting.
- Also The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History.
- Recommends The Giver, a young adult fiction about utopian society, a la Brave New World.
- Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz - probably the most accurate and graphic memoir of survival of the Holocaust; perhaps too accurate and thus disturbing. Still would make a good discussion. Link here to the Facebook page.
- The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, by Maggie O'Farrell - a study of the worst of all characters, or of mankind.
- Lavender Morning, by Jude Devereaux - a light romance/mystery, perfect for the beach.
- Great Expectations
- Picking Dandelions, by Sarah Cunningham - Penny actually met this Michigan author at Barnes & Noble, and I believe she said she was enjoying the memoir.
- The Devil in Pew Number Seven - based on a true story. Facebook page.
- The Way We Live Now (currently) - a satire on wealth and greed; 480 pages
- Cousin Henry - a novella offering psychological/spiritual insights into a character who just can't do what he knows is right. Amazing and agonizing. Absorbing and nuanced.
- Miss Mackenzie - what's a formerly penniless young woman to do when she falls into wealth?
- Barchester Towers - a classic on ambition in church life.
- Dancing to the Precipice: The Life of Lucie de la Tour du Pin, Eyewitness to an Era, by Caroline Moorehead. The era in question is Louis 16-Marie Antoinette (during which Lucie was a lady-in-waiting), the French Revolution (part of which Lucie spent safely in America), Napoleon and after (during which everyone seemed to dance on pins and needles). The biography is based on Lucie's own memoirs and letters; Lucie has understood and described history's significance to her own life, to those she loved, and to the world. The author is careful not to overdo the background information while giving sufficient insight and flavor. Lucie is a remarkably spirited, educated, and moral person, considering the culture in which she was raised. (The grandmother who raised her was harsh and mercurial, and had as a long-time lover a Catholic bishop. Infidelity was "the thing," but Lucie remained faithful and enjoyed a long, satisfying marriage.) I would probably re-read this one in a couple years. It's that good.
